Hat brim ironing machine



Oct. 22, 1935. R. e. SEGSCHNEIDER HAT BRIM IRONING MACHINE Filed April16, 1935 ATTORN EY Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE2,018,326 HAT BRIM IRONING MACHINE Rudolph G. Segschneider, Yonkers, N.Y. Application April 16, 1935, Serial No. 16,544 17 Claims. (01. 223-21)The general object of the present invention is to provide an improvedmachine for ironing the brims of hats. More specific objects of theinvention are to provide a hat brim ironing machine which is simple inconstruction and operation, relatively inexpensive to construct andmaintain, and capable of excellent operative results; and in which,during the ironing operation, the hat being ironed may have its crownsupported by a crown block of standard form used in hat factories forother purposes, and which is adapted for use without modification orspecial adjustments in ironing hats of different sizes, shapes andweights. A further and important specific object of the invention is toprovide a machine for the purpose stated, which is substantially freefrom the tendency to rim buckling and wrinkling experienced in the useof prior hat brim ironing machines, particularly in ironing hats havingthin, or light weight, soft brims'.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention,however, and the advantages possessed by it, reference should be had tothe accompanying drawing and descriptive matter in which I haveillustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Of the drawing:

Fig. l is a plan view of a hat brim ironing machine;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1, with the lowerportions of the machine frame work broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, with the supportingframework of the machine removed.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, the supportingframe work of a machine comprises corner posts A, on which is mounted astationary table B of rectangular outline. The table B is formed with anopening B to receive parts including portions located above and belowthe table, and is formed at its upper side with uprising projections orlugs B B and B on which other parts are mounted as hereinafterdescribed. The crown of a hat C having its brim ironed, is supportedduring the ironing operation on a crown block CC which may be of anyusual form and type, provided only that it is formed with a centralpassage or socket CC, as is customary with ordinary crown blocks, sothat it may loosely receive the hereinafter mentioned guide pin M In theironing operation, the hat brim C" which is being ironed, extendsbetween, and is acted upon by upper and lower revolving irons D and E.The irons D and E have fiat circular brim engaging suriaces, and aremounted on and re- 5 volved by vertical shafts D and E respectively,which are horizontally displaced from one another. Normally, and asshown, the peripheral edge of the iron D extends into contact with thecrown of the hat at the bottom hat band line or 1:) corner at which theupper surface of the brim merges into the outer surface of the crown.The diameter of the iron D is preferably a little less than double theaverage brim width of hats worked upon, so that the major portion of the1r. lower face of the iron D in engagement with the brim at any timewill lie between the axis of the shaft D and the crown of the hat. Theupper ironing face of the lower iron E which supports and works on theunder side of the brim C', is substantially larger in diameter than theironing face of the upper iron D, and the axes of the shafts D and E arepreferably displaced as shown, by a distance a little greater than halfthe diameter of the iron D, so that the axis of the iron E intersectsthe crown of the hat adjacent the portion of the latter nearest to theshaft D.

The shaft D is journalled, and mounted for longitudinal movement, inupper and lower bear- 3o ings D and D carried by U shaped bracket partsG carried by, and advantageously cast integrally with a vertical framemember G. The latter extends through the opening B in the table B, andis provided with one or more lateral bracket or flange portions G twobeing shown, which are bolted against the upper side of the table B, theconnection between each extension G and the adjacent vertical portion ofthe frame member G being stiffened by an integral fillet G3,. Thebearings D and D include flanges bolted to the brackets G, removableshims D being provided to secure proper shaft and bearing alignment.

In operation, the iron D is held in engagement with the upper side ofthe hat brim C with suitable pressure, by a compression spring Dsurrounding the shaft D and acting between the upper bearing D and acollar D rigidly fastened on the shaft D adjacent but above the lowerbearing D The shaft D may be raised to permit a hat brim to be insertedbetween or removed from the irons by a lever F acting on the collar DThe lever F is pivotally connected at one end to one leg of the U shapedbracket G by a pivot pin F, and may be turned about the pivot pin toengage with the undercut edge D of the collar D and raise the latter bya wedging action. To facilitate its turning movement, the lever F isprovided at its free end with an uprising handle F The lower iron shaftE is journalled in upper and lower bearings E and E respectivelysupported by upper and lower brackets E which are bolted to portions ofthe frame G beneath the tableB. A collar E rigidly secured to the shaftE engages the upper side of the lower bearing E and provides a thrustbearing holding the iron E at the proper elevation.

The shafts D and E are both rotated by a vertical drive shaft J whichextends through the table B. A pulley J carried by the shaft J at itsupper end, is connected by a belt DJ to a pulley D secured to the upperend of the shaft D. At its lower end the shaft J carries a pulley J 2which is connected by a belt EJ to a pulley E secured to the lower endof the shaft E.

As indicated in the drawing, the two belt rims or portions extendingbetween the pulleys over which the belt passes, are crossed in the caseof the belt EJ, but not in the case of the belt DJ, so that the shaft Drotates in the same direction as the shaft J, while the shaft E rotatesin the opposite direction. As seen in Fig. l, the shaft D and iron Drotate in the clockwise direction, while the shaft E and iron E rotatein the counter-clockwise direction. The pulleys J, J Y D and E are sorelatively proportioned that the shaft D has a lower speed of rotationthan shaft E, and with the proportions shown, the rotative speed of theshaft D is half that of the shaft E, and may be of the order of 16revolutions per minute. The irons D and E are heated by gas burners Iand H, respectively, above and below the table B. As shown, the burnerpipe I rests in,

and is partially supported by the table projection B As shown, the shaftJ carries a worm gear J which is rotated by a worm L carried by ahorizontal shaft L forming the main power shaft of the machine andjournalled in bearings L adjustably secured to the table B. The shaft Lcarries a driving pulley L at one end. The shaft J passes through andhas a bearing in the table B and is also journalled in upper and lowerbearings J and J supported by upper and lower U shaped brackets J and Jrespectively, which are detachably secured to the frame member G.

- In operation the crownblock CC is yieldingly urged with the desiredforce toward the iron D by a spring K anchored at one end to theframework A and connected atits other end to one end of a flexibleelement K. The latter runs over a pulley K mounted on the table B, atthe under side of the latter, and has its second end connected to a downturned outer end portion M of a hat guide member M. The latter, asshown,

comprises a horizontal body portion in the form.

of a flat bar which extends in a direction generally radial to theshafts D and E, and carries at its end adjacent those shafts, thepreviously mentioned uprising stud M loosely received in the centralsocket C0 of the crown block CO. The member M is permitted guidedmovements in the general direction of itslength by guide pins or studs Mand M located at greater and lesser distances, respectively, from theshafts D and E, and passing through slots M and M respectively, formedin the member M. As shown, the pins or studs M and M are formed withscrew heads at their upper ends and have lower threaded portions screwedinto the projections B and B respectively, on which the member M issupported and moves. The member M is provided at its outer end with anuprising handle M for use in moving the member away from the irons D andE, in withdrawing a hat from the machine. As shown, the member M may belatched in its retracted position, by turning the member, whenretracted, about the guide stud M sufficiently to cause the guide stud Mto be received in a lateral extension M of the guide slot MAdvantageously, and as shown, the crown block and the hat are held outof engagement with the pin guide member M and the edges of the slot M bya bridge member M of inverted trough form secured to the upper side ofthe member M, and having a smooth rounded upper side which forms a crownblock support extending radially away from the crown block guide pin MThe bridge member M holds the side of the crown block remote from theshafts D and E at a slightly higher elevation than the side of the crownblock adjacent those shafts. This tilting of the crown block and hat isdesirable as it facilitates the sharp definition of the hat corner atwhich the upper surface of the brim merges into the outer surface of thehat at the lower band line by the iron D which preferably is beveled offat the upper side, as indicated at D, to assist in such sharp cornerdefinition. The spring K should be of suflicient length so that itstension will not vary much in normal operation as a result of themovement of the crown block guide toward and away from the shafts D andE as is necessary to hold the hat crown against the periphery of theiron D continuously, notwithstanding the usual oval form of the crownblock shown in Fig. 1.

The upper side of the hat brim C is guided and caused to feed smoothlybetween the upper and lower irons D and E, by a plate-like guide memberN adjustably mounted on the bracket or projection B and extending overthe portion of the hat brim about to pass into engagement with the armD. The edge of the guide N remote from the iron D is preferably rounded,or flared as shown, so that even though the hat brim is initially soshaped or distorted that portions of the brim extend upward considerablyabove the ironing face of the iron E, the guide N will smooth out thebrim and cause it to feed smoothly between the irons D and E.

In operation, with the iron D rotating in the clockwise direction andthe iron E rotating in the counterclockwise direction, as seen in Fig.1, the hat and crown block will rotate about the crown block guide pin Min the counter-clockwise direction. As previously explained, the hatcorner at which the brim merges into the crown, is sharply defined bythe peripheral edge'of the iron D, which exerts a direct rotating orfeeding effect on the hat crown and crown block. The displacement of theiron shafts D and E from one another, and the differences in theirrotative speeds each contribute to a movement of the brim engagingsurface of each iron relative to that of the other, and to the portionof the hat brim between the two irons, insuring a very effective ironingaction on each side of the brim. The extended plane ironing surfaces incontact with the brim and the compression of the latter between theirons under the yielding force tending to move the iron D toward theiron E, practically precludes any tendency to the wrinkling ofthe brim,even though the latter be very thin and operation is continued beyondthe minimum time required for its completion, the hat will not beinjured thereby. In consequence, a group of my improved machines mayadvantageously be oper-- ated well by a single operator, who removes anironed hat and inserts a hat to be ironed in each machine of the groupone after another, so that each machine of the group is continuouslyengaged in brim ironing operation, except during the brief intervalsrequired for the removal of an ironed hat and the insertion of one to beironed.

It will be apparent that no adjustment in my ironing machine is requiredordinarily to permit its use in ironing the brims of hats varyingmarkedly in size, shape, brim thickness or brim width.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination of two irons mountedfor rotation about parallel axes laterally displaced from one anotherand having parallel overlapping ironing faces transverse to said axesand respectively adapted to engage the upper and lower sides of aninterposed hat brim.

2. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination of two irons mountedfor rotation about parallel axes laterally displaced from one anotherand having parallel overlapping ironing faces transverse to said axesand respectively adapted to engage the upper and lower sides of theinterposed brim of a hat, the iron engaging the upper side of said brimbeing circular and having a peripheral edge portion adapted to engagethe crown of said hat.

3. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination with two irons mountedfor rotation about parallel axes laterally displaced from one anotherand having parallel overlapping ironing faces transverse to said axesand respectively adapted to engage the upper and lower sides of theinterposed brim of a hat, of means for supporting said hat for rotationabout an axis generally parallel to and displaced from the axis of theiron engaging the upper side of the hat brim in the general direction ofthe displacement therefrom of the axis of the other iron.

4. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination with two irons mountedfor rotation about parallel axes laterally displaced from one anotherand having parallel overlapping ironing faces transverse to said axesand respectively adapted to engage the upper and lower sides of theinterposed brim of a hat, of means for supporting said hat for rotationabout an axis generally parallel to and displaced from the axis of theiron engaging the upper side of the hat brim in the general direction ofthe displacement therefrom of the axis of the other iron, said meansbeing movable in said general direction relative to the axes of saidirons.

5. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination with two irons mountedfor rotation about parallel axes laterally displaced from one anotherand having parallel overlapping ironing faces transverse to said axesand respectively adapted to engage the upper and lower sides of theinterposed brim of a hat, of means for supporting said hat for rotationabout an axis generally parallel to and displaced from the axis of theiron engaging the upper side of the hat brim in the general direction ofthe displacement therefrom of the axis of the other iron, said meansbeing movable in said general direction relative to the axes of saidirons, and means for releasably holding the last mentioned means in aposition in which the brim of a hat supported thereby does not extendinto engagement with the iron adapted to engage its upper side.

6. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination with two irons mountedfor rotation about parallel axes laterally displaced from one anotherand having overlapping ironing faces transverse v and having paralleloverlapping ironing faces transverse to said axes and respectivelyadapted to engage upper and lower sides of an interposed hat brim withthe iron engaging the underside of the brim extending beneath the crownof the hat,

the iron engaging the upper side of the brim 1 having a peripheral edgeextending circularly about the axis of the iron, and adapted to engagethe crown of said hat.

8. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination with two irons mountedfor rotation about axes laterally displaced from one another and eachhaving an ironing face transverse to its axis of rotation and parallelto, and overlapping the ironing face of the other, said faces beingrespectively adapted to engage the upper and lower sides of aninterposed hat brim, and means for rotating the two irons inrespectively opposite directions.

9. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination with two irons mountedfor rotation about axes laterally displaced from one another and eachhaving an ironing face transverse to its axis of rotation and parallelto, and overlapping the ironing face of the other, said faces beingrespectively adapted to engage the upper and lower sides of aninterposed hat brim, and means for rotating the two irons inrespectively opposite directions and with different angular velocities.

iii. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combi-- nation with two ironsmounted for rotation about axes laterally displaced from one another andeach having an ironing face transverse to its axis of rotation andparallel to, and overlapping the ironing face of the other, said facesbeing respectively adapted to operatively engage the upper and lowersides of the interposed brim of a hat, the ironing face engaging theunder side of the brim extending beneath the crown of the hat, meansabove the last mentioned face, and laterally displaced from the otherironing face for revolubly supporting the crown of a hat having its briminterposed between said faces, and guiding means displaced from the lastmentioned iron and above the ironing face engaging the lower side of thebrim and cooperating with the last mentioned face to guide the brim intooperative engagement with the two ironing faces.

11. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination of two irons mountedfor rotation about axes laterally displaced from one another; and havingparallel overlapping ironing faces transverse to said axes andrespectively adapted to engage the upper and lower sides of aninterposed hat brim, said axes being displaced from one another by adistance exceeding the radius of the ironing face engaging the upperside of the brim, and means for rotating said irons each in, a directionopposite to the direction of rotation of the other.

12. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination of two irons mountedfor rotation about axes laterally displaced from one another, and havingparallel overlapping ironing faces transverse to said axes andrespectively adapted to engage the upper and lower sides of anvinterposed hat brim, said axes being displaced from i one another by adistance exceeding the radius of the ironing face engaging the upperside of the brim, and means for rotating said irons; each in a directionopposite to the direction of rotation of the other, and a hat crownsupport revoluble about an axis displaced from the axis of the ironengaging the upper side of the brim in the general direction of thedisplacement thereupon of the axis of the iron engaging the under side,of the brim.

13. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination with an ironrevolving about an axis and having an ironing face transverse to saidaxis and adapted to engage the underside of the hat brim, a second ironhaving a circular ironing face parallel to the first mentioned face, anda crown engaging edge at the periphery of its face and revolving aboutthe axis of its face, the last mentioned axis being parallel to and solaterally displaced from the first mentioned axis, that said edge isbetween said axes, and means for supporting a hat for revolution aboutan axis approximately parallel to the iron axes and displaced from saidsecond mentioned axis, in the general direction in which the firstmentioned axis is displaced therefrom, whereby said edge may engage thecrown of a hat having its brim interposed between said irons. Y

14. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination with an ironrevolving about an axis and having an ironing face transverse to saidaxis and adapted to engage the underside of the hat brim, a second ironhaving a circular ironing face parallel to the first mentioned face, anda crown engaging edge at the periphery of its face and revolving aboutthe axis of its face, the last mentioneol axis being parallel to and solaterally displaced from the first mentioned axis, that said edge isbetween said axes, means for supporting a hat for revolution about an axs approximately parallel to the iron axes and displaced from said secondmentioned axis, in the general direction in which the first mentionedaxis is displaced therefrom, whereby said edge may engage the crown of ahat having its brim interposed between said, irons, and means forrevolving said irons in opposite directions.

15. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination of a vertical shaft,an iron secured to the upper end of said shaft and having a horizontalupper ironing face, a cooperating iron, a second- 16. In a hat brimironing machine, the combination of a vertical shaft, an iron secured tothe upper end of said shaft and having a horizontal upper ironing face,a second vertical shaft to the lower end of which is secured a secondiron, the latter having a horizontal lower ironing face above the firstmentioned ironing face, said shafts being horizontally displaced so thatsaid irons have overlapping portions adapted to operate simultaneouslyon the upper and lower sides of an interposed hat brim, means forrotating the last mentioned shafts in opposite directions, a supportingframe work comprising a table, a vertical supporting member extendingthrough said table, bearings for the first mentioned shaft carried bysaid supporting member beneath said table, bearings for the secondmentioned shaft carried by said supporting member above the table, and acrown block supporting member provided with an uprising support adaptedto enter a crown block socket, said support being mounted on said tablefor movement relative thereto toward and away from the overlappingportions of said ironing faces.

17. In a hat brim ironing machine, the combination of a vertical shaft,an iron secured to the upper end of said shaft and having a horizontalupper ironing face, a second vertical shaft to the lower end of which issecured a second iron, the latter having a horizontal lower ironing faceabove the first mentioned ironing face, said shafts being horizontallydisplaced so that said irons have overlapping portions adapted tooperate simultaneously on the upper and lower sides of an interposed hatbrim, means for rotating the two shafts in opposite directions, asupporting frame work for said shafts comprising a table, a crown blocksupporting member provided with an uprising support adaptedto enter acentralsocket' in a crown block, and a guide mounted on said table andlaterally displaced from the second mentioned iron and extending abovethe first mentioned ironing face and cooperating with the latter toguide the brim of a hat supported on said crown block into operativeengagementwith the overlapping portions of the two ironing faces.RUDOLPH G. SEGSCHNEIDER.

